I use MIN3P and reactive transport (RT) modeling to examine and characterize the biogeochemical relationship between soil and plants at a variety of scales. I parameterize my models using existing data in order to develop increased understanding of the geochemical evolution of systems that cannot be observed directly. This contributes an additional quantitative constraint and a new lens through which to analyze and interpret existing qualitative data. Currently, I am working on constructing 1 and 2-dimensional models of the oxalate-carbonate pathway (OCP) of the Iroko tree, in order to constrain the mechanism and magnitude of biogenic calcite precipitation.
Before I began my PhD work at UBC, I received a Bachelors degree in Geology from Bryn Mawr College, and a Masters in Earth and Planetary Science from the University of New Mexico, where I developed a subsurface model using transition probability geostatistics in conjunction with Modflow software to characterize the influence of heterogeneity on solute phase plume migration of the jet fuel spill at Kirtland Air Force Base, NM. I have also worked as a visiting scientist at Colonial National Historical Park, VA, monitoring changes in groundwater level and chemistry related to sea level rise and salt water inundation.